T420 pre-purchase questions -

I've been doing some research on the T420 and am strongly considering making a switch from my envy14 i5 radiance.

I've determined the T420 would be a better fit over the 420s even though it lacks the usb 3.0 but I'm fairly concerned about build quality and performance. I've seen mixed reviews and am seeking feedback from seasoned users, like yourself

Build being considered:

• How would you rate the t420's build quality?
• What's your take on the screen?
• What's the avg battery life with the i7 / i5 with moderate use?
  -- would a 9cell be worthy investment?

• How is the speaker sound quality?
• Trackpad?

What would you identify as the biggest selling point on your T420? and how satisfied are you with your purchase, overall?

 

1. Build quality is good.
2. Screen is okay (like other 14 inch LCD used in thinkpads in the last few years).
3. Speaker sound quality is not that good.
4. Trackpad is pretty crap.

The biggest selling point of the T420?

1. Long battery life with the slice battery attached.
2. 4 screens support with the nvidia optimus model + series 3 workstation dock. Otherwise you can run 3 LCD from the laptop (1 internal + 2 external).
3. It is a ThinkPad.
4. Robustness (unless there is a design fault).
5. Quality parts and mods.
6. Super awesome community support.

 

After owning a T420 for 7 months these are my unbiased opinions on the T420.

Generally solid, though I admit it doesn't feel "bulletproof" compared to my 4 year old T61. The hinge strength doesn't seem to be that convincing as I already had a batch failed on me, got it repaired under warranty in the end.

Even so, my new hinges on the T420 doesn't feel as strong compared to my T61. A gentle poke on the front screen bezel pushes the lid down, sounds normal until you do the same on my T61 where a gentle poke on the front screen bezel also lifts the bottom base off its feet, its that strong!

Pretty much adequate for everyday use. Overall image quality depends on which panel you end up with, the images on my AUO panel are grainy due to the antiglare coating so you may find colour vibrancy lacking.

From concensus the LG Philips panels are a little better than the AUO's though they can look griddy and blue-ish to some, tweaks with the graphics control panel should help things though.

You should be able to stretch at least 5 hours on a 9 cell depending on usage, though thats a conservative estimate as some users report up to 12 hours of usage with a variety of power settings. For me on average I get around 6-7 hours web browsing, music listening and Photoshop work.

I would say so, the battery is one of T420's strong points and a definitive purchase for the mobile traveller.

The speakers are OK for a business notebook, the headphone port is disappointing in my experience as its quieter on the same volume level compared to my T61. Needless to say I have to crank up the headphones to compensate, though I did some mistakes when I forgot to adjust back down for my T61 and blowing my ears out in the process...

While I don't use it, personally I don't like the rubbery surface as its easy for it to get spoilt if you spill some chemicals/solvents on it. I accidently splodged some glue and permanently ruined it. Had to get a new palm rest bezel as the stain really irked me.

Plus Points

+ Impressive battery life.
+ It's actually not that heavy than it seems, a lot lighter than my T61 of the same size.
+ Flexible storage options: mSATA SSD, Ultrabay HDD Adaptors its up to you.
+ Performance is impressive, upgradeable if you crave for more power (right up to Quad Core if you're that hungry).


Bad Points

- Screen can be lacklustre, its OK but not the best.
- Headphone Jack is not as loud compared to its predecessors in my experience.
- Bulletproof feel seems to be missing from the previous models, questionable hinge strength.
- Upgrades is a bit fiddly due to unified palm rest design.

 

Keep in mind though, this is less of an issue with the T420, as it uses an LED backlight (the T61 used a CCFL one.) That means that there's no chance of lid deformation cracking the backlight tubes, traditionally the weakest part of an LCD display.

Now obviously enough pressure can damage the panel itself, but the margin of safety has improved considerably.

(I don't disagree with Hearst -- the T61 lid assembly was stronger -- I'm just saying that it might not matter as much as you'd think at first glance.)

 

Thank you for the detailed response.
The notebook seems perfect except for screen and sound issue () I just wish there was a way to test out the T420.. I don't want to get it and be subject to the 15% restocking fee if I don't find it to be an ideal fit; you'd think Lenovo would adopt industry standard return policies...

 

It's not as if there's significantly better choices, at least in the 14" segment. If you want a better screen you'll do better to go bigger or smaller.

 

I'd like to disagree with that. (Assuming it's the same trackpad as in the W520.)

It takes some configuring, but it does turn out to be quite nice.

My W520 can do that... at least until the 9-cell blocks it. Maybe it's just the cold temperatures today increasing the stiction on the hinge.

I'm going to say that's extremely conservative.

We have... sort of a fix for it. There's a Dolby audio hack on Lenovo Forums for the T520/W520, but I assume the speakers are the same component on the T420. It amplifies the volume a lot, but doesn't add much bass. I use SRS HD Audio Labs for headphones, but it does wonders for faking bass on laptop speakers (magic, don't ask me exactly how) but doesn't offer the volume of the Dolby hack.